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WorklifeIndia: How is the coronavirus crisis hitting India’s farmers?

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How is coronavirus crisis hitting India’s farmers?

01/05/2020 GMT

How is the coronavirus crisis hitting India’s farmers?

BBC World Service - WorklifeIndia, How is the coronavirus crisis hitting India’s farmers?

Is the country's food security under threat?

How are India’s farmers coping, and is the country’s food security under threat?

India has relaxed restrictions on farming and related industries, as it prepares to emerge from a countrywide lockdown. The move is aimed at easing the country’s food supply chain and alleviating economic impact.

More than half of India’s workforce is engaged in farming, and agriculture contributes nearly 265bn dollars to the GDP. But the extended lockdown has hurt farming activities. With winter crops just harvested, farmers are facing acute challenges in transporting and selling their produce. Many say they have had to simply leave the harvested produce to rot.

The government has announced a 23bn dollar relief package to provide food security and cash transfers to the poor, but it has been criticized for being inadequate. So, how are India’s farmers coping and is the country’s food security under threat? 

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss the struggle of the Indian farmers and look at measures that can help them survive.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Yogendra Yadav, activist and founder, Farmers’ Movement; Ajay Vir Jakhar, chairman, Farmers’ Forum India; Chhavi Rajawat, head, Village Soda

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